In Plain Sight
by Crystal-Moonlight-Guardian
Summary: Picks up where the last episode left off and Chloe takes herself into hideing. R&R. Rated for violence and subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story picks up exactly where the last episode left off. I hated the cliffhanger they left and I want them to bring the show back in the worst way. It did leave room for me to get a bit creative though. I hope everyone enjoys what I've devised with a bit of help from my beta reader.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Nine Lives of Chloe King. This story is from my imagination and I don't make any money from it.

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In Plain Sight

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"I need to get to Jasmine and Valentina," Chloe said. "Amy can you call the police about Brian? Tell them you saw a tall woman with short red hair, dressed in all white leaving the building and decided to investigate and found him already dead. Make up any details you want as long as you don't mention me."

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you?" Amy asked worriedly.

"I'm sure," Chloe nodded, wiping tears from her cheeks. She took off running for the penthouse; quickly disappearing into the shadows the way Alek and Jasmine had taught her.

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Adrenaline surged through his veins. "You're no brother of mine!" Alek hissed through clenched teeth. A growl torn from his throat as he lunged at Zane.

Zane threw Alek into the dining room table, cracking it in half. Alek in turn, kicked Zane into the front door, making it splinter and crash down on him. They exchanged multiple blows, each trying to land a critical hit that would decide the outcome of this life and death battle. Zane grabbed a large butcher's knife and sliced deep into Alek's hip and shoulder. Blinded by the sudden pain, Alek missed the next block and felt the knife cut into his neck, before Zane kicked him into the destroyed book shelves.

Zane hovered over Alek, the knife just above his heart. "Don't worry, you won't be alive much longer and then I'll visit your precious little Uniter. You'll be reunited in the Afterlife."

"Don't you dare touch her," Alek growled, fighting against him harder.

Several Mai hunters swarmed through the broken front door without warning; distracting Zane long enough for Alek to dig his claws into Zane's heart and throat, severing all of his major arteries. Alek watched Zane's eyes widen in shock as he gasped in a final breath and dropped to the floor…dead.

"What happened here?" one of the hunters demanded as he knelt beside Alek.

"He killed them," Alek said before passing out as the adrenaline rush ended.

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By the time Chloe arrived at the penthouse, it was crawling with Mai. She stopped in the hall to catch her breath while listening to what was going on inside. Several Mai were talking at the same time so she was only able to pick up a few words here and there.

"Order attack...stabbed Jasmine...Valentina..poisoned and stabbed Alek..."

"No," Chloe whimpered, fresh tears streaming from her eyes.

"We just got a report that the Order had the Uniter's mother. Mrs. King has been rescued and returned home safely."

"Mom," Chloe gasped worriedly. She pushed herself away from the wall and walked to the door. She froze in terror upon seeing Alek lying in a pool of blood on the floor. There was a roaring in her ears and all she could distinguish was her own racing heart as she watched people kneeling over him. Her eyes locked with his and she watched as his lips moved, trying to say something, before his eyes closed. Her ears began picking up talking again and she wished she were still deaf.

"dead...need to find the Uniter..."

She fled; running as fast as she could away from the penthouse and the shattered pieces of her broken heart. She didn't stop until she reached the back door of her house.

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"Oh my god!" Meredith exclaimed when Chloe ran into the living room, her shirt soaked in blood. "Chloe, what happened?"

"Alek is dead!" Chloe cried. "I can't stay here. It's not safe." She ran upstairs; grabbing her backpack and a duffle bag from the hall closet, her mother right behind her.

"Chloe, please talk to me," Meredith begged. "I'm really freaking out here. Mr. Rezza started acting strange after dinner and talking crazy and these men showed up and threatened him. They told him that if he ever came near me or you again that they would kill him. I don't understand. They told me that you were in trouble and then brought me home. Talk to me, please."

"Mom, I have to leave," Chloe cried. "I'll try to explain everything, I promise. Just please help me pack, it's important."

Nodding her head, Meredith helped Chloe pack as much as they could as fast as possible. As they moved quickly around the room, Chloe did her best to explain about the Mai and everything that happened that night.

"It's too dangerous for me to stay," Chloe finished with a sob. "The Order is killing or trying to kill everyone I care about."

"You're right," Meredith nodded, crying silently. "It is too dangerous for you to be here. I'll go pack."

"No, mom," Chloe shook her head. "I have to go alone. The Order knows that'll you'll go with me if I leave. The Mai here are protecting you. If you go with me, you'll lose that protection and I can't let you get hurt."

"But you're my daughter," Meredith sobbed. "I have to protect you. I love you."

"I love you, too," Chloe cried. "The best way you can protect me is to help me get away and then make it seem like I'm still here."

"I'm not letting you go without money," Meredith said. She ran into her room and came back a few minutes later with an envelope filled with papers and a makeup bag. "These papers are bonds; each one is worth $1000. I was saving them for your college tuition. This bag has all of my valuable jewelry that you can sell if you need to." They packed everything into the duffle bag and hurried out to the car. They pulled out of the driveway barely a minute before 5 Mai hunters arrived.

Meredith stopped at every ATM she could find. She emptied her bank account and withdrew as much money as possible from her credit cards.

"Mom, you won't be able to pay your bills," Chloe tried to protest.

"Don't worry about me," Meredith said. "I have money put aside. I'll be fine. I'm making sure you have enough to get anywhere and extra to live on until you can safely find work. Always remember that cash can't be traced."

"What's the fastest way out of town?" Chloe finally asked.

"The airport," Meredith said. "Where will you go?"

"I don't know," Chloe admitted. "I'll probably just throw a dart at the departures board. I'll find a way to send you a message when I more or less settle somewhere. I don't want there to be anyway for the Order to trick me again so I've deleted my email account and I'm leaving my phone with you."

"Please be careful, Chloe," Meredith pleaded. "If you leave your phone here, there won't be any way for me to find out if anything happens to you. You have to contact at least once a month."

"I'll do my best." Chloe promised. "When I do contact you, if I'm safe, I'll send 'Bassett's Gift'. If I'm not safe yet, I'll send 'Order Underfoot'. That way you'll know that it really is me and not some kind of trap."

They pulling up to the airport and Meredith pushed the money from the ATMs into Chloe's backpack. "I love you, mom!" Chloe threw herself at her mother, crying even harder.

"I love you, too," Meredith said. "Please, please, be careful."

"I want you to sell my car," Chloe said. "I don't know how long I'll be on the run and it's stupid to just let it sit in the driveway."

"Come back home," Meredith demanded. "Promise me that when it's safe, you'll come home."

"I promise," Chloe sobbed. "As soon as it's safe. Please tell Amy and Paul that I'll miss them and that I'm sorry I couldn't tell them goodbye. Jasmine and Valentina, if they're still alive, tell them 'thank you' and that I don't want them looking for me."

"I'm not saying goodbye, kiddo," Meredith said. "I love you and I will see you again."

"Implied," Chloe said with a sad smile. She grabbed her bags and ran into the airport. She approached the ticket counter with the shortest line and waited her turn.

"How can I help you?" the ticket person asked.

"I'd like one ticket on your next departing flight," Chloe said.

"Do you have any bags to check?" he asked, looking at his computer.

"No," Chloe shook her head.

"Do you have a passport?"

"Yes."

"Where would you like to go?" he asked still clicking away with his mouse.

"It doesn't matter as long as it's as far from here as possible and I leave in the next few minutes," Chloe replied.

"I have a flight scheduled to leave in about 30 minutes with some open seats," the clerk said. "You'll be cutting it really close but you should be able to make it. The only seats are in first class though."

"I'll take it," Chloe said.

"How would you like to pay?"

"Cash," Chloe said reaching into her backpack.

"I'll call security to escort you through so you aren't late," the clerk offered after processing her ticket.

Thanks to her escort, she made it to her gate 5 minutes before the boarding call. When the guard turned to leave she asked, "Can you stay, please? I'm a little nervous."

"What's wrong?" the guard asked.

"My ex-boyfriend attacked me tonight," Chloe lied. "My mom is sending me to stay with relatives, but I'm afraid he'll find out I'm here."

"He won't get past security without a boarding pass but I'll stay," the officer smiled sadly. "I'll stay until you're on the plane."

"Thank you," Chloe said.

A few minutes later, a stewardess announced, "Now boarding first class passengers for Flight 777."

Chloe looked at her ticket and approached the gate with her boarding pass.

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Chloe slept through most of the flight, nightmares plaguing her dreams, but she only woke when one of the flight attendants came on the intercom to announce their final approach for landing. She grabbed her things and made her way through customs.

"Business or pleasure?" the customs officer asked.

"Pleasure," Chloe replied.

He stamped her passport and said, "Welcome to London, Miss King."

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm sorry it's taking so long to get this update out but I've started working with an awsome Beta reader and she's helping me to get out the best story possible.

Disclaimer: story's mine, original characters are mine, Nine Lives of Chloe King- not mine...

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In Plain Sight

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Chapter 2

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CPOV

I had been in London for two weeks; spending my time in the busiest and loudest places I could find in order to learn and perfect a British accent. I had seen a few Mai here and there, easily recognized by their graceful movement, quick reflexes, and reactions to things most would have never noticed. I was very careful to skirt around them, never allowing them close enough to realize that I was Mai. I continued training at night, even if it was difficult to do alone. I would then doze off for a few hours, sleeping deep enough to stay strong but always on high alert for anything out of place. I'm still tormented by nightmares of what happened the night I left. I wake every morning in a cold sweat before going to watch the sunrise from the top of the building; playing with the gold Bassett necklace that Alek once gave me.

I found an internet article about Brian's funeral and printed it to read when no one was around to see me cry. It was a large, lavish funeral considering who his father was but the only thing I could think of was the fact that I hadn't gotten to say goodbye. No cause of death was ever mentioned but I knew it was my fault. I still can't believe I let him kiss me. I realize I didn't have any control, being disoriented from dying and all but I still should have found a way to stop him.

Then there was Alek. Alek, the thought of him still sometimes sends me into hysterics and I cry for hours. I still remember the fight we had that night. I wish more than anything that he had let me explain what he had heard. Yes, I said I loved Brian, but the feelings I held for Brian weren't even a tenth of what I had felt for Alek. He was my protector, my friend, and I had, at one point, hoped that we would be more than friends. I was never able to imagine my life without him and it takes everything in me not to just give up. I get up every morning only because I know that's what he would want.

I hate how unfair life is. I have no idea if Jasmine and Valentina are still alive, though I pray daily that they are. I know I can't go back but I wish I had a way to check on them. I miss my mom, Amy, and Paul so much. I've thought about checking my Facebook page to see how they're doing but I know that if I do, I'll return and put them in danger again.

Having managed to avoid the Order, I've decided that it's time to contact my mom. I know that it's hard, almost impossible, to trace a free email account but I don't want to take any chances and buy a bullet train ticket to a town three hours south of London. A public library computer would only help in hiding where my emails originated.

I sat next to a nicely dressed couple that seemed to be in their early 60s. We made small talk and they asked me why I was traveling when I should've been in school. I made up a lie about being an orphan and going to visit my parents' grave. They were going to a friend's house for dinner and invited me to join them. I was surprised by the offer and couldn't stop the embarrassing blush that quickly colored my cheeks.

"Thanks for the offer," I said shyly, "but I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Nonsense," the woman said. "I insist that you join us. It'll be nice to have someone young around. Now, we haven't properly been introduced. My name is Katherine Fitzroy and husband is Marvin Fitzroy."

"My name is Chloe," I blushed.

"How old are you, dear?" Mrs. Fitzroy asked.

"I'm sixteen," I answered.

"It's so sad to lose your parents so young," she said. "Do you stay with family?"

"I don't have any," I replied.

"You're living in a group home then?" she asked.

"No, I'll be seventeen soon so I decided I wouldn't go to a group home," I said.

"Where do you stay?" Mrs. Fitzroy asked.

"Where ever," I shrugged.

"Where do you go to school?" Marvin asked.

"I dropped out," I answered, ashamed of admitting something like that.

"Why?" he asked, shooting a disapproving look at me.

"I had two options; go to school or earn money to eat." I was really embarrassed at how easy it was to come up with all of these lies.

"You will come with us to dinner tonight and when we return to London tomorrow, you will come to live with us," Katherine said. "I will not take 'no' for an answer."

Mr. Fitzroy excused himself to make a phone call and despite, not trying to hear, I managed to pick up his end of the phone call.

"_Hello, Anne, it's Marvin. I wanted to give you a heads up and let you know that we're bringing a girl with us. Her name is Chloe and she's a 16 year old orphan that Katherine has taken a great liking to…Yes; please get all of the paperwork sorted. I'm not sure, but it's possible. No, we should speak with her about it first. Thank you, Anne. We're going to make a few stops first and then we'll be over."_

I didn't understand everything that was said but then I caught Katherine watching me and blushed at being caught before I realized that, as a human, she couldn't know that I had been listening. A car was waiting at the station and drove us to a small yet nice clothing boutique where Katherine bought me a simple, pale gold cocktail dress and pearl hair combs. I tried to protest but she shot me a stern look that shut me up very quickly.

We were driven to the local cemetery where I explained that my parents were cremated and their ashes spread near the pond. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzroy kept a respectful distance while I went and sat at the pond's edge. Looking out over the water, I thought back to the times I had spent at the harbor and beach with my friends before I ever knew that Mai existed. These thoughts brought forth memories of everything that happened after I found out that I was Mai and I broke. I vaguely took note of someone standing with Marvin and Katherine but I was crying too hard to care. I cried for my mom, my friends, Valentina and Jasmine, and Alek. I cried for everything I had lost and before I knew it, I was crying apologies almost silently into the wind. I'm not sure how long I sat there crying, it might have been ten minutes or it might have been an hour, but when my tears finally subsided into soft sobs and sniffles, Katherine approached and wrapped her arms around me. She rocked me until I stopped crying and then led me back to the car.

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We were in the car for close to 30 minutes before pulling into the long driveway of a large estate. A butler greeted us and showed us to a sitting room where two couples were talking. The butler announced us and I wished I could hide as both couples turned to acknowledge us.

"Marvin, Katherine, we were beginning to worry about you," one of the women smiled.

"Sorry to be late," Katherine apologized. "We got a bit held up."

"Not to worry," the woman said. She walked over to us and stopped in front of me. "You must be Chloe. I'm Anne Howard. I'm very pleased to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you," I said shyly.

"Come, we'll get you cleaned up and leave all of these old people to talk," she said, grabbing my hand and leading me upstairs with a wink. She showed me to a bedroom with an attached bathroom and told me to shower while she laid out my dress.

I did as I was told and showered as quickly as I could. When I got out, the dress that Katherine bought me was lying on the bed and Anne was waiting beside a makeup vanity, brush in hand. We talked as she helped me get dressed and I told her the same lies I had told Mr. and Mrs. Fitzroy.

"I can see a great deal of good in you, Chloe," Mrs. Howard said as she brushed my hair.

"How can you know that?" I asked sadly, thinking about all of the people that had been hurt because of me in one way or another.

"It's a gift that I inherited from one on my gypsy ancestors," Anne smiled. "I can tell those that are good from those that are not. You, my dear, are very good. Katherine is very taken with you. You look a lot like their late daughter. She died of cancer when she was just a few years older than you are now. I tell you this because I believe they will ask to adopt you."

"But we just met," I said in surprise. "They don't even know me."

"They are lonely, dear," Anne said. "I believe that when they look at you, they see the granddaughter they never got to have." A silent tear slipped down my cheek as Anne slid the combs into my hair.

Standing back to look at me, she smiled and said, "Now, I think we're ready." We walked back downstairs and everyone exclaimed over how pretty I looked. I thanked them with a blush and the butler announced dinner. We filed into the dining room and I was seated beside Mrs. Fitzroy.

Dinner was amazing and the conversation, surprisingly entertaining. I was introduced to the other people I had not yet met and everyone was really nice. There was Nathan Rochester, a politician, and his wife Jane who was a doctor. Anne was a lawyer, and her husband Edward owned a bank. Marvin was also a politician and Katherine was a fashion designer.

"What would you like to do one day, Chloe?" Mr. Rochester asked.

"I'm not sure," I said. "If you had asked me before my birthday, I would've said that I wanted to sing or act. So much has changed for me though that I honestly can't say; maybe a doctor or police officer. I want to be able to help people."

"Very admirable," said Mr. Howard. "Perhaps after dinner you would accompany me with a song. It's been quite some time since I've had a proper excuse to play my piano."

"Not that that ever stops him," Mrs. Rochester laughed.

I simply nodded in acceptance. After dessert, we all made our way back to the sitting room and I joined Mr. Howard at the piano to choose a song. We finally settled on an old lullaby and I sang as Mr. Howard played. (song: All Through the Night artist: Celtic Woman)

We stayed up for several hours. Sometimes Mr. Howard would play and I would sing with him, other times we would just talk about a variety of different was Mrs. Rochester that finally noticed when the clock struck 11.

"My how time flies," Mrs. Howard commented. "Everyone's usual rooms are already prepared and waiting. Chloe, you'll stay in the same room I showed you earlier. We'll have your clothes cleaned for you and there is someone I would love for you to meet in the morning."

Everyone headed upstairs and I found a silk nightgown laid out on the bed for me. I had just finished changing when the door opened a bit and I spun around, ready to defend myself, confused when no one was there. I then felt something brush against my leg and looked down to find a pretty white cat. I scooped her up and she started purring. Smiling, I climbed into bed, the cat curling into my side, and waited for everyone else to go to sleep before I allowed myself to relax.

I was almost asleep when I heard my door open again and noticed Katherine and Anne watching me. I feigned sleep and listened very carefully to their whispered conversation.

_(Anne **Katherine**)_

"_No one this innocent should have to endure so much. We must do everything in our power to protect her."_

"_**Sometimes the best way to hide is in plain sight. While not impossible, of course, it's much harder to secretly attack someone famous than it is to attack someone that's unknown."**_

"_I've already drawn up the proper documents and patent, all we need is the Queen's final approval and signature to secure her claim and safety."_

"_**We should go before we wake her. We'll discuss this more in the morning and learn her opinion on the matter."**_

They closed the door again and I sat up, completely confused. Why did they come in here when everyone was asleep? Why would they want to protect me? What did they mean by famous? What the hell is a patent and what does the Queen have to do with anything? I settled back into the bed but couldn't go to sleep with all of those questions and more running through my head, demanding answers. The cat moved to lie on my chest and I finally allowed the sound of her purring to lull me into a light sleep sometime just before sunrise.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: story's mine, original characters are mine, Nine Lives of Chloe King- not mine...

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In Plain Sight

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Chapter 3

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CPOV

I jumped awake in the morning when a maid opened the door to return my clothes. I think I scared her, reacting the way I did but she seemed to recover quickly enough.

"Good morning, Miss," she said. "I didn't mean to wake you. I was just returning your clothes. Breakfast will be served in the garden at 8:30."

"Thank you," I said. I glanced at the clock when she left and saw I had an hour before breakfast so I took another shower. I headed outside once I was presentable and easily followed the sound of laughter to where everyone was talking over coffee and tea.

"Good morning, Chloe. Did you sleep well?" Anne asked.

"Yes, thank you," I smiled. Breakfast was served and we ate in silence for a few minutes.

Katherine was the first to initiate conversation by saying, "Chloe, we would like to speak with you about your future. Marvin and I have already told you that we want you to live with us. We would like to go one step farther and adopt you as our legal heir."

"You don't know me, or anything about me," I said in confusion.

"We have no living family and from what we have witnessed, you are a very down to earth and sweet girl," said Marvin. "We need an heir and you need looking after. Plus, we would be honored to bring a Mai into our home."

I stood up quickly with a glare and demanded, "How do you know about Mai?"

"Sit down and we'll discuss this civilly," said Mr. Rochester. I sat down slowly, but angled my chair for an unobstructed escape incase I felt the need to run.

"First we'll explain how we know you are Mai so there can't be any denials later on, and then we'll tell you how we came to learn about Mai in general," Mr. Howard said. He waved his hand and a tall man with short brown hair joined us at the table. The man smiled at me, his gray eyes shifting into cat slits and making me back up more. My flight instinct was screaming at me to get out of there but I stayed where I was, determined to let them explain since they had been so kind to me.

"My name is Charles and I'm one of Mr. Fitzroy's bodyguards," the Mai introduced himself.

"I was the first to notice," Katherine admitted. "I could tell that you heard Marvin's phone conversation. I noticed the confusion on your face even though nothing had been said in hearing range and then the blush when I caught you only confirmed it."

"I was confused when we stopped at the cemetery and approached Mr. Fitzroy," Charles said. "It was while I was talking to him that I heard you start crying and saying you that were sorry for everything. How you wished everything could go back to normal and how you wished you had never transformed. That you wanted to go back to a time when you never knew Mai existed. That you just wanted to be human again and how much you hated the Order for taking everything from you. You said more but I stopped listening to give you your privacy. I just confirmed Mrs. Fitzroy's earlier guess."

"You should be careful about eavesdropping. You might hear something you don't like," I glared at him. I knew I hadn't said anything about being the Uniter but I would have to be extra careful now that I had been seen by a Mai.

He smirked, "I see you've had some training."

"How do you know about Mai? Or maybe I should ask: why do you know about Mai?" I ignored him.

"It was probably 30 years ago that the Order first approached Marvin and myself," said Mr. Rochester. "We were prominent politicians even then, though not that well known. They had hoped to recruit us to their cause and gain powerful political allies. We had no idea who they were and agreed to meet with them."

"We kept open minds as they explained what Mai were and found ourselves pleasantly intrigued," Mr. Fitzroy continued. "At least, we were intrigued until they began explaining who they were. By the time they had finished their explanations, we were furious. What they had described was no different than what the Nazi did to the Jews in Germany and Eastern Europe."

"We insisted on learning more about the Mai and they agreed to provide us the name of three known Mai families they had been tracking, but had not yet attacked," said Mr. Rochester. "Getting them to speak openly with us was quite difficult, but they eventually trusted us enough to tell us about themselves. They even told us things the Order had kept from us."

"It must have been a month later that the Order attacked one of the families and we took them in," Jane said. "I now provide medical assistance to any pride members and Anne provides legal services."

"Nathan and I do what we can politically to help the Mai and impede the Order," said Marvin.

"So you're friends with the Mai?" I asked.

"You think they would have Mai bodyguards if they weren't?" Charles asked with a laugh.

"My friends and I were betrayed by a Mai that secretly worked for the Order," I hissed. "I'm sure you'll forgive me if I don't trust my own kind so easily anymore."

"We call them rouges," Charles shrugged. He raised his hand and flashed his claws. "They get dealt with appropriately."

"Perhaps we could hear your real story?" Mr. Howard asked. "Like where you're from, for starters."

"What makes you think I'm not from London?" I smiled softly.

"You accent is truly impeccable, but you seem to need to concentrate to maintain it," Mr. Howard smiled back.

I hesitated. I knew they hadn't lied to me about anything, I could smell their honesty. I could also detect their clear hatred every time the Order was mentioned. Finally, with a sigh, I dropped the accent I had so painstakingly developed.

"I was born in Ukraine and adopted by humans in America. I grew up in San Francisco and didn't know Mai existed. We don't know how but the Order knew what I was and tried to kill me right after I transformed so I was assigned two protectors to keep me safe and teach me how to defend myself. A little over two weeks ago, my pride leader was poisoned and my protectors were attacked. Both of them were stabbed. I know one of them died; I don't know about the other one though. My mom helped me escape to the airport and I've been running and hiding even since."

"I heard about that attack," Charles nodded. "The Order was after the Uniter."

"I was alone when the attack occurred so I don't know everything that happened," I said. "Did you hear if Valentina lived?"

"Yes, she and her daughter Jasmine both survived their injuries but last I heard, they were still recovering," Charles nodded. "Everyone over there is in an uproar trying to find the Uniter and make sure she's safe."

"She's really smart," I said, careful not to lie. "If she doesn't want to be found, they'll have a really hard time of it."

Charles nodded and said, "We can only hope the Order didn't get her." I only smiled in return. "Do any of the prides know that you're here?"

"No, I told you, I'm having trust issues with other Mai right now," I shook my head.

"That'll have to change if you become a Fitzroy," Charles said, "at least with the London pride. The Fitzroy family is under our protection and we'll need to arrange for you to have a guard."

"I don't want a guard," I said. "I want to stay as far away from the Order as possible."

"The best way to be protected from the Order is become a Fitzroy," Charles laughed. "They have to connections to keep them away. Plus they're some pretty amazing people, for humans at least." Everyone else joined the laughter on the last part but I was still doubtful.

"You can't adopt me though," I said. "I'm not technically an orphan."

"Adopting you as our heir is different than adopting you as our child," said Marvin. "You would inherit our estate when we pass on but you would not legally be family. In return, we would take care of you in any way that was needed."

"Why do you keep saying that you would adopt me though?" I asked thoroughly confused.

"There are a few extra strings attached to being our heir but we won't go into that until we get final legal approval," said Katherine. "Will you allow us to care for you?"

I didn't know what to say. I was torn, my mind working a million miles an hour. I didn't want to endanger these people but my instincts told me to trust them. Finally, with a deep breath, I nodded. "Yes, I accept your offer."

"I'll put the finishing signatures to the papers and drop them off at the courthouse this afternoon," Anne smiled. "Do you think it would be possible to secure a Power of Attorney from your mother?"

"Only if we could keep it a secret," I said. "The Order in San Francisco knows who she is and I don't want them to know where I am."

"I can arrange everything in a way that no one will ever find the paperwork," Anne nodded. "Have you talked to you mother since you've been in England?"

I shook my head and Charles said, "I have a secure computer you can use. Come with me."

He stood and I looked to the others, who nodded at me to go with him. I followed him into a large library. He handed me a laptop and I quickly made a new email account and typed a message to my mom. Before I hit send, I asked, "There's no way an email can be traced on this computer?"

"It's completely secure," he nodded.

I hit send and smiled sadly. "I know you're probably having a hard time with all of this but the Fitzroys are really good people. If Anne says that she can bury Power of Attorney papers, I would seriously consider letting them adopt you legally."

"But I have a mom," I said.

"And she'll always be your mum," Charles nodded. "But this is about your safety. Protection is hard to justify for those that aren't family. The Fitzroy name alone holds a lot of power and power is protection, especially where the Order is concerned."

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APOV

I couldn't believe it had been two weeks since Zane attacked. No one had seen Chloe and her mom wouldn't talk to anyone. I still remember seeing Chloe that night in the doorway of the penthouse. I had tried to call out to her but the doctors had already given me pain medication and I passed out. It still left me a little shaken whenever I though about how close we had come to dying that night. Jasmine and I had healed quickly but Valentina was still trying to recover. It terrified me that we still hadn't found Chloe though. Hunters had been watching her house, her work, her friends; she had disappeared. I prayed the Order hadn't found her. I can't believe I left her that night. I was so stupid. Now I spend everyday staking out her house, hoping for even a glimpse of her. Anything to tell me she's still alive.

"Alek, get in here," Chloe's mom called from inside the house. I ignored her at first, thinking that was imagining things until she yelled, "Now!"

I jumped up and quickly walked inside, hoping Chloe was with her. "Mrs. King," I greeted her when I walked into the kitchen.

Mrs. King glared, "I'm getting very tired of seeing people on my front steps and hanging around my house."

"Please, I just want to see Chloe," I said. "No one's seen her in two weeks. I just want to know if she's okay."

"Chloe told me you died," she said angrily.

"When did she say that?" I asked. "Please tell me she's safe."

"She told me all about the Mai two weeks ago, the night she came home in hysterics and wearing a bloody shirt," Mrs. King said.

"The night of the attack," I sighed. "I was injured pretty bad that night, but I survived. Where is she?"

"Why should I tell you? For all I know, you're the one the one that killed her that night," Mrs. King glared.

My eyes widened in shock and I had to grip the chair back to stay upright. "She died? Please, Mrs. King, I have know where she is."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I'm her protector," I said. "It's my job to keep her safe. I've already failed once. Please, I can't fail again; I must know if she's okay."

"Chloe isn't here," she admitted.

"No offense, Mrs. King, but I already knew that," I said. "Where is she?"

"First, call me Meredith. Second, I don't know where she is," Meredith said. "She left the night of the attack."

"What do you mean, she left? Where did she go?" I asked worriedly.

"The last time I saw her, I was dropping her off at the airport," Meredith said quietly, a tear slipping from her eye. "Everything happened so fast that night, it's almost a blur. I gave her everything of value that I could and all of the money I could get my hands on. I wanted to go with her but she convinced me that it would be safer for both of us if I let her go alone."

"She's in a lot of danger right now and we have to find her. Has she tried to contact you?" I begged.

"We agreed on a code before she left but I haven't checked my email today," Meredith said, pulling up the email on her computer. After reading for a minute, she smiled and said, "She's safe." She turned the computer around and showed me an email with two words.

_ Bassett's Gift _


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: First, I wanna thank my beta reader Burningcrystal for helping me edit this chapter. You're awesome, girl! Second, I wanna thank everyone that sent in reviews. Reviews are like crack for writers, totally addictive. Though I will point out that it's nicer when reviews say more than "nice chapter" or "update soon"; I'm not being picky, I love all reviews, but the more detailed you get the more I know exactly what you like and I might be able to expand on the parts you guys like best…

Disclaimer: Story's mine, Nine Lives of Chloe King is not mine.

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In Plain Sight

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Chapter 4

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APOV

I had been doing all of Chloe's school work for the past two weeks and Amy had been turning it in. It was our hope that if everyone thought that Chloe was home 'sick', people wouldn't ask as many questions. I had grown really close with Mrs. King since I always went to their house to do Chloe's work and she had even told me to call her Meredith and given me a house key. We had dinner together almost every night and when it was my turn to protect her, as I knew Chloe would've wanted, she had me stay in the guest room instead of on the roof.

Meredith sat a glass of milk in front of me as I worked on some algebra homework.

"Thank you," I smiled before frowning when someone knocked on the door. "Are you expecting someone?"

"No," she said in confusion.

"Wait here," I said, rising from my seat at the bar and heading to the front door. Opening it, I found a messenger on the other side. He handed me an envelope and walked away. I stayed on the porch to read the letter incase something was wrong, but smiled when I recognized Chloe's hand writing. I took the letter inside and Meredith and I read it together.

_I have found a safe place to stay and I need you to pull me out of school. A messenger will be at the house at 5 tomorrow night to pick up my transcripts. She will also have some papers for you to sign. No matter what, do not read any of the papers! Sign them wherever she tells you to and don't ask any questions. This is very important. This is for your safety. I will see you again, but for right now, this is how it has to be. I love you._

_Bassett's Gift_

Don't ask any questions? Has she lost her mind? Meredith typed a quick email to the address Chloe's last email came from but it came back instantly as undeliverable. I was worried. I could tell Meredith was too. Has Chloe lost her mind? How are we supposed to reach her if there's a problem?

Meredith and I exchanged a look and I said, "I'm staying here tonight and I will be here when this messenger arrives."

"You have basketball practice tomorrow," Meredith shook her head.

"I'm captain of the team," said Alek, "I don't need the practice and they won't kick me off just because I miss one drill session. You're safety is more important. Chloe would think so as well."

Meredith smiled and we decided to watch some TV before going to bed. As I changed into a pair of sweats pants and tee shirt, I called Valentina and Jasmine to tell them what was going on. They agreed that I should stay with Meredith tomorrow and wanted a full update the next night. I spent the next hour writing a letter to Chloe, begging her to come back or at least talk to us so we could know she's safe.

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Meredith and I were sitting quietly at the kitchen table, Chloe's transcripts in front of us. There was a knock at the door and I glanced at the clock; 5 pm exactly. I opened the door and saw a woman of perhaps 60 on the front steps.

She smiled at me and said, "My name is Anne and I'm looking for Meredith King."

"You're British," I said in astonishment.

"Is Mrs. King available?" the woman asked with a small frown.

I opened the door wider, inviting her in. Once she had stepped passed me, I said, "I need to see some ID."

"Of course," she said and pulled out an international driver's license. I studied it for a minute and frowned when I realized that it didn't have an address. I led her into the kitchen and Meredith rose to greet her.

"Are those the transcripts?" Anne pointed to the folder on the table.

"Yes," Meredith nodded. "Please, is Chloe okay?"

"Yes, she is quite safe," Anne nodded. "Here are the papers you need to sign; I have covered everything except the places where I'll need your signature."

"I'm not signing anything until I know what's going on," Meredith frowned. "What are these papers? Where is Chloe?"

"I am sorry but I can't answer those questions," Anne said sadly. "At least, I can't answer them at this time. Those questions are for Chloe to answer at a time and place that she deems appropriate."

"We tried to send her an email and couldn't," I said angrily.

"I imagine she either deleted the account or set it up to reject all incoming messages," Anne said.

"Then give her this letter," I insisted.

"I'm sorry, but I can't," Anne sighed. "I was told not accept any messages from anyone. I personally don't agree with that, but it was her request for now. I'm sure she'll contact you soon though. If she doesn't, I will keep you updated on her safety and health. She did give me this letter that she would like you to give to a Ms. Valentina and this picture is for you. It was taken just two days ago."

She passed us an envelope and photograph. I was closest and grabbed the picture. I held it where Meredith and I could both see it. Chloe smiled back at us from the picture looking happy and safe. Meredith had tears in her eyes as she reached out and started signing the papers.

"I do not trust you," Meredith told Anne. "I am trusting Chloe. If I ever find out that something has happened to her because of these papers, I will hunt you down myself."

"I will tell Chloe how much you love her and I will try to persuade her to call you," Anne smiled. She collected all of the papers and the folder with Chloe's school files and left, leaving my letter on the table.

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CPOV

I hated telling Anne not to bring back messages from anyone. It killed me at the thought that she would be standing in the same room, talking with my mother, and I was too afraid to accept any messages. I knew this would be hard, but I didn't realize quite how hard until I agreed to everything. I hated the fact that I was living with such wonderful people in the most amazing estate I had ever seen, but the only thing I wanted was to hug my mom. I hated San Francisco for all the bad memories, but I wanted to be selfish and go back. I couldn't do that though, it would put too many people in danger.

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"It's official," Anne said a week later. "All of the paper work has been signed and filed. We even have the final Royal approvals. You now have all of the protection from the Order that you will ever need."

"And more power than just about any Mai in history," Charles smirked. "Now you get to meet with our pride leader."

"That can wait," said Katherine. "We need to meet with tutors first and get her enrolled to finish her studies."

We returned the Fitzroy's London Estate the next day.

"Will I be in a public school or a private school?" I asked, thinking of how much I would hate to wear a uniform everyday.

"Actually, there are a lot of extra things that you need to learn so you'll study at home with private tutors," said Marvin.

"That sounds really expensive," I said.

"Not at all," Marvin waved off my concerns. "Chloe, we have plenty of money and you will never have to worry about such a thing again. Now that I think about it, we have an employee that has a daughter about your age that just returned from school."

"I completely forgot about that," said Katherine. "I should take you girls shopping."

"You really don't have to," I said.

"I really want to," Katherine smiled. "I'll go see if she wants to join us while Marvin shows you to your room." She disappeared around a corner and I followed Marvin upstairs.

He showed me to a large suite, the bedroom separated from a sitting room area, and said, "Katherine will probably hire a decorator tomorrow so it'll be more to your liking."

"That really isn't necessary," I said. "This room is beautiful."

Marvin smiled and said, "We have always longed for grandchildren. Please indulge our desire to spoil you a bit."

"On one condition," I frowned before giving him a soft smile. "You have to let me call you Grandma and Grandpa."

Marvin nodded, a small tear slipping from his eye, as he said, "I think that would be acceptable. I'll leave you to get settled in a bit."

He closed the door behind him and I took some time to explore my new room. It was amazing and I absolutely loved it. Maybe I could move my mom here instead of going back. No, I couldn't think that way. I still needed to keep my distance for a while longer.

Still unable to fully relax, I spun around quickly when I heard someone turning the knob to open the door.

A girl with bushy red hair popped her head in with a smile and said, "Hi, I'm Elizabeth and Mrs. Katherine asked me to come get you."

"I'm Chloe," I smiled. "I guess it's time for shopping."

"Mrs. Katherine is really fun to shop with and if we're lucky, we might get to meet up with my cousin," Elizabeth smiled, leading the way to the front door.

"Who's your cousin?" I asked.

"Henry Stanton," Elizabeth smiled. "He's a really popular singer and his manager is holding a talent search at the big hotel right across from Harrods today."

We spent the entire afternoon shopping and having fun before we got the chance to meet Elizabeth's cousin. He was very good looking with sleek red hair and soft grey eyes. He was also really charming. Perhaps too charming as I soon found myself tricked into singing for him and his manager after Katherine told them that I was some kind of great singer. I had always thought I was a good, not great but good, singer and was never embarrassed to perform. They, however, seemed to think that I was the best singer they had ever heard, though I could have named lots of other people that I thought were a million times better than me. The next thing I knew, I was signing a record deal and discussing stage names and song styles. I'm still a little confused as to how all of that happened and I haven't yet decided if it's a good thing or bad thing.

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APOV

It had been almost three months since that lady showed up and promised to have Chloe contact us. Nothing; no phone calls, no emails, no letters, nothing. I was truly pissed. I had just opened the door to Meredith's house, Tai takeout in hand when she called to me from upstairs.

"Alek, would you be a dear and get the mail? I forgot to check it yesterday."

"Sure thing," I called back, setting everything on the counter. Going back outside, I grabbed the mail and returned to the kitchen. "Do you know anyone in France?"

Meredith gave me a puzzled look as she finished walking down the stairs and I held out the package. She took it and I began setting the table. I jumped almost a meter and dropped the silverware when she called my name excitedly.

"What happened?" I demanded, looking around for a threat.

"The package is from Chloe," she said and I leapt over the table to stand next to her.

Meredith was reading the letter Chloe sent while I took a look at the CDs that were still in the box. There were five copies of the same CD and I picked up the one on top to inspect it. The cover had a girl's face in blacked out silhouette with a bright green cat eye and Egyptian hieroglyphics in the background with the word MAI scrolled across the top in gold. Meredith passed me the letter and took the CD, moving to the entertainment center.

_Hi mom,_

_I'm sending this from France but this isn't where I'm staying so don't try to come. I'm safe and, all things considered, happy. I'll go ahead and tell you that I'm in Europe and the people I'm staying with have lots of secure connections around the world so I'll be able to safely send you emails or letters. Don't try to contact me; I want to keep all contact to a minimum until it's safe to see each other again. It's just too hard to hear from you and know that I can't see you. The CDs I included are for a new singer in England. I sent a copy for you, Amy, Paul, Jasmine, and an extra incase you know someone else that would like one. I know you're missing me with the holidays here and I miss you too. Don't forget to blow out a candle for me on my birthday and I love you. I promise that I'll see you again, but it might be a few years. Your safety and the safety of my friends are the only things that matter to me and I will do everything I can to protect you. The best way I can do that is to be the Uniter and get rid of the Order once and for all. Remember, don't look for me._

_All my love,_

_Chloe_

I was crying by the time I finished the letter, relieved and happy that she was safe. I didn't expect her to say anything about me since she obviously thought I was dead, but I was glad that she seemed to know that Jasmine had survived. I listened to the CD with Meredith and was entranced. Her voice was amazingly soothing, like something from a dream. I took two of the CDs, one for Jasmine and the other for myself and put them in my back pack.

"Are you going to look for her?" Meredith asked.

"No," I shook my head, "she asked us not to."

I finished setting the table and we ate while listening to the CD. When it was time for me to leave, Meredith gave me a hug and said, "Remind Jasmine and Valentina that Christmas dinner will be at 4 o'clock tomorrow. Thank you for helping me the last few months, I don't know what I would've done if I had been going through everything alone."

"It's no problem, I like coming over here," I smiled. "You're really easy to talk to and it helps me to feel closer to Chloe. I'm sorry we didn't encourage her to talk with you about being Mai sooner."

"I understand why you didn't," Meredith smiled, "but at least she had you guys to talk to about it."

"Good night, Meredith. See you tomorrow," I said as I walked out the door, shooting a short wave to the Mai on watch duty.

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We received updates from Chloe every couple of months, always telling us that she was safe and happy. Her packages always included something for that singer Mai, whether it was the latest CD, tee shirts, or other products they had produced for the singer, who had actually become quite popular here in America as well. One package even included tickets to one of Mai's concerts in LA, but I wasn't able to go due to a big basketball game that I couldn't get out of. Amy later described the singer as having long, straight black hair with blue and green highlights and always wearing a green and black eye mask. Chloe's following package had contained signed pictures of Mai, and I was captivated by her beauty. I slowly found myself fantasizing about the singer and realized that Chloe must've felt this same way about Brian. I knew I could never be with Mai since she was a human, but her songs awakened something within me that I thought had died when Chloe disappeared. I was still in love with Chloe, but I found myself with deep feelings for Mia as well.


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